First Ladies of Louisiana and Baton Rouge to speak at March 25 luncheon in Baton Rouge

Join us for the Our Girls Our Future fundraising luncheon on Wednesday, March 25, from 12 to 1 p.m. at the Lod Cook Alumni Center on LSU's campus. We are honored to have Supriya Jindal, First Lady of Louisiana, as the keynote speaker, and Lois Holden, First Lady of Baton Rouge, as mistress of ceremonies! 

Table captains (those who host a table at the luncheon made up of their friends) as well as luncheon sponsors are needed. The luncheon is free although cash and pledges will be solicited. Invitations were mailed out this week to Baton Rouge-area adult Girl Scout members. Please contact Cerise McClendon at (800) 644-7571, ext. 222 if you would like to attend.

2009 Resident Camp information now online

The 2009 Girl Scouts Louisiana East Resident Camp Information for Camp Marydale and Camp Whispering Pines is now online!  While camp brochures will not be mailed to all registered member households until mid-March, you can access the information now at  www.gsle.org/camping/residentcamp09.asp

It pays to register early for resident camp! Mail in your registration by Wednesday, April 1 to receive an early bird discount! Applications accompanied by a $50 deposit, mailed and receipted in our office by April 1 will receive a 10 percent discount off of their total registration fee. Applications mailed after April 1 will not be eligible to receive the 10% discount. Confirmation packets will be mailed starting April 20.

Camp Open House dates have been set! Camp Open House at Camp Marydale is Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Open House at Camp Whispering Pines is Sunday, April 19, from 1 to 3 p.m. Open House is a perfect opportunity for girls and parents to explore camp, visit camp sites and receive information before camp begins. No registration to attend either open house is necessary.

Cookie News

Girl Scouts are hard at work taking additional cookie orders and preparing for the direct sale where cookies will be sold at various booth locations from 5 p.m. March 6 until March 22. You are doing wonderful! Keep up the great job.

Our Council has planned a council-wide Gift of Caring project where we will be shipping Girl Scout cookies to our active duty military troops with the generous assistance of the Belle Chasse Naval Air Station. Our goal is to send one to four pallets (120-160 cases/pallet) of cookies to our brave men and women serving overseas. It is not too late to participate in this Gift of Caring project. Simply let your direct sale customers know you are participating in this service project, collect the money from them, and then notify us through Ebudde. Questions, please contact your Area or Service Unit Cookie Manager.

Please reassure your customers that Girl Scout cookies are safe! Girl Scout cookies are not affected by the peanut butter warning. and none of our Girl Scout cookies are connected to the peanut producer linked to the salmonella outbreak. So encourage your girls to sell those Girl Scout cookies! Download the cookie statement to have on hand to pass out to any concerned booth sale customers.

Girl Scout troops who distribute and collect the most completed alumnae cards during the booth sale will earn a free troop camping weekend at any of our camps. Cards will be available at the cupboards when picking up your troop cookie order.

Save the Date for Awards Brunch May 9

Support our outstanding volunteers receiving council-level recognition or 20+ years of service, and Girl Scout Award recipients by attending the council’s Awards Brunch where they will be recognized for their efforts.  The Brunch is set for Saturday, May 9, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the First Community Antioch Baptist Church, 10860 Highway 3125, in Gramercy. Menu and cost TBA. Brunch is free for those being recognized.

Sign up for March & April events

Don't miss out on some great council events! Below is a list of activities set for March and April. On the website calendar, go to the appropriate month and day, and click on the link for details including registration deadlines, age levels, times, etc.

3/7 - FULL Carmen Opera Orientation (Cad & up)

3/7 - FULL Science Discovery Day at Oschner

3/7 - Silver & Gold Award Workshops (Cad & up)

3/7 - Goodwill Good Turn Day (participating store locations are posted here)

3/7 - Girl Scout Night at the Hive NOT TOO LATE FOR TIX

3/13 - Ivanov Gym Friday Fun Night (all ages)

3/14 - FULL Daisy Day at Camp Covington

3/18 - FULL Carmen Night at the Opera Performance (Cad & up)

3/27-29 - Older Girl Weekend at CWP (Cad & up) This is a Girls only event

3/27-29 - Program Aide Core Training (grades 7-12)

3/28 - Bronze Award Workshop (Jrs)

3/28 - NEW! Looking your Best (Jrs)

4/3 - Elmwood Cheerleading Academy Cheer & Pizza Night (all ages)

4/4 - Ceramics and Clay (Jrs)

4/4 - Swing into Spring (all ages)

4/4 - FULL Louisiana SPCA Girl Scouts Critters Day

4/4 - Program Aide Science, Sports, & Games Training (grades 7-12)

4/9 - Nursing Exploration Day at Ochsner (jrs)

4/11 - The Show Must Go On (Jrs)

4/11 - Break a Leg (Brs)

4/17-19 - Me & My Pal Weekend (Br and up)

4/18 - Colors & Shapes (Brs)

4/18 - Program Aide Core Training (grades 7-12)

4/18 - Mother/Daughter Beginners Sewing (4th grade & up)

4/18 - Project Learning Tree Day (all ages)
4/18 - Program Aide Event Planning Training (grades 7-12)
4/19 - Orleans Audubon Society Bird Watching Expedition (all ages)

4/25 - Stress Less (Jrs)

4/25 - Wildlife Watching (Brs)

4/25 - Explore Scuba (Cad & up)

4/25 - Program Aide Science, Sports, & Games Training (grades 7-12)

Swing into Spring

Join us for Swing into Spring, a fun day of activities and friendship at Camp Marydale on Saturday, April 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $10 per girl, $2 per Safety-Wise adult. Make sure you bring plenty of SWAPS to trade with your new Girl Scout sisters and don't forget your lunch for a troop picnic.


As part of Swing into Spring, troops are encouraged to participate in a community service project making American Red Cross Comfort Kits. Please collect donated items (see list) to create comfort kits which go to victims of natural disasters or other emergencies in our area.


Have your troop hold its own drive to collect what you can from the list, bringing your donations to Swing into Spring for drop off and participating in the actual making of emergency comfort kits! If your troop cannot attend Swing into Spring but would still like to participate in this community service, contact your Service Unit Advisor to find a local troop that will be attending and have them bring your donations.

At Swing into Spring, girls will learn about animal rescue from Magic Happens Animal Rescue; lLearn about the Camp Marydale Wrangler program; watch some really awesome agility dogs courtesy of the LSU Ag Center; participate in Arts and Crafts with The LSU Eta Kappa Sorority; Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries will be giving casting demonstrations; West Feliciana Parish Hospital will be talking safety; Dow Chemical will be teaching the pHun of Science; along with the LSU Wildlife Society, West Feliciana Parish High School Soccer team, Project Wet, fire trucks, & more.

Check out website's new home page

In an effort to make the council website's updated information more accessible, the home page has been re-designed. Check www.gsle.org, bookmark it, and visit it frequently for new information.  A Troop Spotlight (photo) has been added to the home page and will be updated every 2-4 weeks. So keep getting those photos in to the communications department, attention Marianne Addy.